Nine months after participating in her fifth Olympic marathon, Boulder's Lidia Simon ran away with the women's citizens race at the Bolder Boulder and flirted with the race record time.

Simon won the race with the fastest time by a woman in nine years dating back to the last time she won in 2004. Simon crossed the finish line in 34 minutes, 4.59 seconds. It was just 5 seconds slower than the 34 minutes flat time she ran in her previous win. That time remains the fastest time ever in the women's citizens race.

“It's amazing to promote your town and to see so many people running this race,” Simon said. “It's amazing.

Simon, who will turn 40 in September, was more than 1 minute ahead of her closest competitor in the women's field. Ellie Keyser of Fort Collins finished in 35:13.11 to capture second place and Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz of Broomfield was third in 35:32.13.

Simon is actually a three-time winner at the Bolder Boulder. She also won the women's pro race in 1999 representing her native Romania in the International Team Challenge. She is the only person in race history to win both the citizens and professional races.

“I always wish to run in this race,” she said.

As Simon pulled away from the other women in the race, it probably didn't seem fair to some of them. She is, after all, the only woman in history to have participated in five Olympic marathons and has been among the world elite in distance running for nearly 20 years.

“I'm not sure what still keeps me so strong,” Simon said after being told she was just 5 seconds off her winning pace nine years ago. “I'm a very good worker and I always wish to be very good and I work very hard.

“I'm not that fresh, but I'm still working hard and I hope to keep going.”

She said she has always tried to participate in the Bolder Boulder since her win in the pro race in 1999. She considers it her hometown race and it holds a special place in her heart. She also hopes that her accomplishments inspire younger runners to believe they can also compete at a high level even after they move beyond their prime.

“I wish for me to be an inspiration to others to find when they decide to run,” she said.

Simon said she has wanted to participate in the pro race again but hasn't been able to get a Romanian team together. So she chooses to run the citizens race instead.

This year's Bolder Boulder served as a nice training run for Simon who will compete in a half-marathon in five days in San Diego. She said her goal for that race is a top-10 finish.

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